Former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently listen to calls for a new people-oriented constitution and set modalities in place to achieve it.
In an interview in Lagos, Anyaoku said: “The 1999 constitution, even as amended, lacks the legitimacy that can only be conferred on a constitution democratically made by the people of Nigeria. We must, therefore, have a new legitimate constitution that will give us a different governance system that can tackle more effectively the myriad challenges currently threatening the integrity of our country.”
He suggested that the new constitution should be made by a constituent assembly of persons to be democratically elected on a non-political party basis of three each from the existing 36 States and one from the Federal Capital Territory.
Anyaoku emphasized that deliberations on the new constitution should take into consideration the 1960 and 1963 constitutions as well as the recommendations of the 2014 national conference.
He also advocated for the draft constitution to be subjected to a national referendum for approval, stating: “This way, the document would have the legitimacy to qualify it as a citizens’ constitution.”
He further explained that a new people’s constitution will be the first to be democratically made, suited for the needs of a pluralistic country.
Anyaoku noted: “First, our country, Nigeria, is a pluralistic country; a country of groups of people with diverse cultures, languages, and religions who had lived in their separate geographical areas for generations. This was before their man-made amalgamation into one political entity called Nigeria. The country from its inception has, therefore, faced the challenge of how to manage its diversity.”
Anyaoku also highlighted the current challenges facing Nigeria, saying: “The second incontestable fact is that, as of today, the Nigerian project under its present constitution is clearly not working. Nigerians are today assailed by high cost of living, crude oil theft, food inflation, insecurity, corruption, divestments by multinational oil corporations.”
